1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a memory medium for renewing the control program of an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method and an information processing apparatus using such medium.
2. Related Background Art
The control program of a floppy disk apparatus, an optical disk apparatus or the like is stored in a read-only memory (ROM) in the apparatus, and a central processing unit (CPU) in the apparatus sequentially accesses the program from the ROM for execution. In some apparatuses, a part or whole of the control program is once down-loaded from the ROM into a random access memory (RAM), whereafter the program is sequentially accessed from the RAM for execution.
In recent years, in apparatuses of this kind, the complication of functions and higher functions have tended to be accompanied by the complication or increase of a control program held in the ROM or various control parameters necessary for control. Also, from the need for reduced costs, it has been a practice to replace hardware with firmware, i.e, make hardware into software, and thus rapidly increases the use of firmware. Generally, the increase of firmware includes the risk of increasing an iminent bug of the firmware as well.
On the other hand, in recent years, a commodity cycle has tended to become shorter in conformity with the advance of technology, and coupled with the increase of firmware, firmware is made into commodities and distributed in the market without the bug of the firmware being completely overcome. Also, in the aforementioned making of hardware into software, it is often the case that the enhancement of the function and performance of commodities can be realized by only the additional modification of the firmware, and even in the case of commodities once distributed in the market, a change of the function, performance or the like thereof is sometimes done from the user's strong demand.
When a change of the control program thus occurs from a change of the specification or an error in writing or the like, the interchange of the ROM becomes necessary. Generally, for the interchange of the ROM, it is necessary to follow the procedure of detecting the external members of the apparatus, and dismounting the ROM on a circuit board from a socket. On the other hand, however, since compactness and reduced costs of the apparatus are required, there is a case where the ROM is not mounted on the socket, but is mounted directly on the circuit board. In such a case, the interchange of the ROM involves soldering.
However, when the ROM is mounted directly on the circuit board, service cost increases with the interchange of the ROM. Also, the thermal destruction or deterioration of the surrounding elements by soldering, and secondary impediments such as bad soldering and breakage must be taken into consideration. Therefore, except for the case where the ROM is mounted on the socket, it is often the case that the interchange of the ROM is abandoned and the circuit board, or in some cases, the commodity, is bodily interchanged. In any case, an increase of service cost is unavoidable, and these interchanging operations are beyond the user's ability and thus, generally, the interchange at a place designated by each maker has been inevitable.